Wolong National Nature Reserve (wò lóng zì rán bǎo hù qū 卧龙自然保护区) is a protected area located in Wenchuan County (wèn chuān xiàn 汶川县), Sichuan Province (sì chuān shěng 四川省). The Reserve is 52 kilometers long from east to west, and 62 kilometers wide from south to north, covering an area of about 700,000 hectares. Established in 1963, the Reserve joined the International Man and Biosphere Reserve Network of UNESCO in 1980, and its main targets for protection are forest ecosystem and precious animals like giant pandas.

Located in the alpine valley where the Tibetan Plateau transits into Sichuan Basin, Wolong National Nature Reserve has become China's largest and certainly the most important sanctuary for giant pandas and other rare and precious animals and plants during the climatic fluctuations of the ice age, and consequently southwest China has the richest alpine and sub-alpine flora than anywhere in the world. Primitive forest and original ecosystem here are well preserved, and therefore the Reserve is appraised as a rare genebank in the world or a natural park. The subtropical damp climate provides favorable conditions for forest and vegetation to grow. According to relevant statistics, there are more than 4,000 plant species. Fragesia denudata, dove trees, Katsura trees and other precious plants grow densely under the lush coniferous forest or coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest.

In the Reserve there are over 50 species of animals and 300 species of birds. The number of giant pandas here approximately accounts for one tenth of the total, and therefore Wolong National Nature Reserve is also identified as homeland of giant pandas. Besides giant pandas, red pandas, golden pheasants, white-eared pheasants and Chinese monals as well as the stunning Firethroats, golden monkeys and Musk Deer can also be found here. Most of these animals live in temperate coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest between the altitude of 2,200-3,600 meters.

Wolong National Nature Reserve is the most famous one among the 13 giant panda reserve centers established by the Chinese government with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Wolong National Nature Reserve is also the first one of its kind to set up a research center for giant pandas. Zoologists at home and abroad have made ecological observation of giant pandas including its number, distribution, and breeding and population structure. And remarkable achievements have been made in the past years.

In Wolong National Nature Reserve, there is the Wolong Panda Museum (wò lóng dà xióng māo bó wù guǎn 卧龙大熊猫博物馆). It is the only museum exhibiting only one species in China. Besides, there is the Panda Nursery (dà xióng māo yuàn 大熊猫苑), which is the largest in the world. In the nursery you can observe the life of panda.

Wolong National Nature ReserveLocation: southwest of Wenchuan County, Sichuan ProvinceAdmission fee: CNY 15Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.Transportation: you can take bus in Chengdu to get Wolong